Clayton rallies past Wayne Co.

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 15, 2012 1:48 PM

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DUDLEY -- Hitless in his previous four at-bats, Bradley Ragan collected his lone base knock when it counted the most Thursday evening.

Ragan delivered a two-out, RBI single into left field in the top of the ninth inning and Clayton Post 71 claimed a come-from-behind, 9-8 victory over Wayne County Post 11.

First-year Post 11 head coach Jason Sherrer offered no comment after he watched his team squander a mid-game advantage and endure its second consecutive home defeat in a seven-day period.

Wayne County (4-3 overall) trailed 5-2 after 4 1/2 innings, but seized the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zack Mozingo ignited a six-run uprising with a double down the third-base line. Tyler Gainey plated Mozingo with a double that trimmed Clayton's lead to 5-3.

One out later, Justin Barbour walked and Will Winslow loaded the bases with an infield single. Post 71 reliever Taylor Davis plunked Duane Gurganus, which scored Gainey.

Barbour and Winslow trotted home on Jamie Dove's two-strike single. Gurganus scored on a passed ball and Dove raced home on a wild pitch to make it 8-5.

Post 11 put runners aboard in each of the final four innings, but left two stranded in scoring position. Clayton's duo of Ben Youngblood and Blake Mitchell yielded just one hit and combined to retire 12 of 15 batters they faced.

Wayne County left 10 runners on base and struck out 10 times.

Meanwhile, Clayton (6-0) benefited from eight walks, including two that led to a pair of sixth-inning runs. Post 71 knotted the game at 8-all on Ragan's seventh-inning sacrifice fly.

Ragan's ninth-inning single drove in Matthew Parrish, who had cranked out a lead-off single to center field. Post 11 reliever Collin DuBose got the next two outs before Ragan's game-winning hit.

Wayne County begins a stretch of nine games in 10 days when it plays host to South Division nemesis Kinston Post 43 on June 19. First pitch is 7 p.m. at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex.